Indoor Air Quality Solutions, IAQS

When Filing Insurance Claims:

When filing your claim, complete a precisely detailed estimate of what is required to repair or rebuild your property. Assist in the preparation of inventories for damaged personal property, contents, and related items. With your help in providing correct documentation, and determining ages, descriptions and determine the approximate current values.

Have your losses or additional living expenses ready to submit in your claim. Establish a professional line of communications with the insurance adjuster and present estimates, inventories, and other valuations to the insurance adjuster.

A Public Adjuster can meet with your insurance company to adjust your claim fairly and equitably, thus resulting in an acceptable settlement to you.

You will need a very well written report detailing all Hurricane and Storm related damages with photos.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•  Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•  Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

The Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale

A 1-5 rating based on a hurricane’s present intensity, used to give an estimate of the potential property damage and flooding expected along the coast from a hurricane landfall. Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale, as storm surge values are highly dependent on the slope of the continental shelf in the landfall region.

Category 1

Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 knots or 119-153 km/hr) – Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal. No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage.

Category 2

Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 knots or 154-177 km/hr) – Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings.

Category 3

Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 knots or 178-209 km/hr) – Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal. Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large tress blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by battering of floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more. Evacuation of low-lying residences with several blocks of the shoreline may be required.

Category 4

Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 knots or 210-249 km/hr) – Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km).

Category 5

Winds greater than 155 mph (135 knots or 249 km/hr) – Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•  Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•  Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

The flooding of your home by untreated or inadequately treated groundwater is responsible for a number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses that occur every year throughout the United States. In many of these outbreaks, sewage was most often identified as the contamination source.

Past flooding events in Florida have created sewage contamination problems, however simple testing solutions can provide fast information to business and homeowners.

Here at Microshield Environmental Services, LLC, we test for sewage contamination by testing for certain indicator organisms (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, E.coli, and Enterococcus). These indicator organisms are assumed to be indigenous to feces, and thus their presence in environmental samples is indicative of fecal contamination. We also provide our clients with more definitive answers by testing for individual pathogens such as Salmonella, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium.

If you think you have a sewage, bacteria, or mold contamination problem, either in ground water or other bulk material, please contact Microshield Environmental Services, LLC. for information on your indoor environmental testing needs.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•  Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•  Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

Storm Damage Assessment and Environmental Testing

National attention has brought mold and indoor air quality to the forefront of your clients’ concerns. Many clients have become knowledgeable about mold infestations and health issues.

By understanding what is hype and what is truth, you can recommend a certified Indoor Air Quality Specialist who will assess and analyze the property. The solutions recommend by a specialist will allow you and your client to move forward with the transaction quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

After The Clean Up Make Sure Your Home Is Free Of ;

Hurricane Terms:

· Tropical Depression – an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined circulation and maximum sustained winds of 38 mph (33 knots) or less.

· Tropical Storm – an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined circulation and maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph (34-63 knots).

· Hurricane – a warm-core tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or greater.

· Eye – center a hurricane with light winds and partly cloudy to clear skies. The eye is usually around 20 miles in diameter, but can range between 5 and 60 miles.

· Eye Wall – location within a hurricane where the most damaging winds and intense rainfall are found.

· Severe Thunderstorm – a thunderstorm with winds 58 mph or faster or hailstones three-quarters of an inch or larger in diameter.

· Tornadoes – violent rotating columns of air that touch the ground; they are spawned by large severe thunderstorms. They can have winds estimated from
100 to 300 mph.

· Tornado Watch – tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are possible.

· Tornado Warning – tornadoes are detected in your area. Take shelter!

http://www.microshield-es.com

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•  Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•  Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com